The Paston Letters Life in 1400s England Write

The Paston Letters Life in 1400’s England *Write the slide or bullet point into your notes when you see an asterisk. *

*Why read 600 year old letters? • Non-fiction (“real”), primary source • Insight into daily life of the past. • Comparison with current day life: – Legal system (especially property ownership) – Police, fire, ambulance, military – Communication (internet, phones, twitter, texting, etc. ) – Social and economic mobility

Who were the Pastons? • Clement Paston – Granddad of John Paston – Yeoman (commoner, farmer) – Took advantage of black plague – acquired cheap land – Borrowed money – sent son (William) to law school – Died 1419

Who were the Pastons? • William Paston – Father of John Paston – Survived plagues – Went to law school – Became a judge – Married Agnes Berry, acquired more land – Lived at Oxnead

Onxnead, Near Norwitch

*Who were the Pastons? • John Paston I and Margaret Paston – Law school at Cambridge – Became a judge – Married Margaret Mauteby – acquired two manors – Befriended and became lawyer to Sir John Fastolff • Main beneficiary of Falstoff’s will • Falstoff’s heirs contest will for decades (forcible, legal) • John to London often, defending property claims – Survived by John eldest, John younger, Margery

Works Cited • Self, Cameron. "Oxnead. " Literary Norfolk. Cameron Self, n. d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. • Ibeji, Mike. "Paston Family Letters. " BBC History. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http: //www. bbc. co. uk>.